


Welcome to the Time Bureau

by IncendiaGlacies



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: Backstory, Canon Divergent, F/M, Gen, Human!Gideon, Human!Gilbert, Missing Scene, RipFic, Time Bureau
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-18 10:18:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12386172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncendiaGlacies/pseuds/IncendiaGlacies
Summary: “This is where I leave you, five years in my past so you can help me form the Time Bureau. I succeed, but I can’t do it without you. I know I don’t have to tell you to look after me, because you always do. But do remember to look after yourself too.”Because if Rip is going to make the Time Bureau, he needs Gideon’s help. Aka I got pissed off at the S3 premiere and I’m rewriting the Time Bureau to make Rip and Human!Gideon the power couple of the organization they were meant to be (with unwanted background commentary by Ava Sharpe...because someone’s got to do it if the Legends aren’t around)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I would call this the backstory on the Time Bureau, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up being Timeship acting as an old married couple and Ava making snarky comments. To be clear, this will most likely be an established Timeship fic in the long run, but give it a chance?
> 
> Much thanks to Drogna for fielding my constant questions on history (I’m sure I still messed it up) and putting up with my absolute cracky headcanons for this fic. I also stole a few ideas from her amazing fic 'The Ease of Our Escape'
> 
> In this chapter: Within the first six months, Gideon is personally offended by her clean-shaven Captain, Rip gets punched again and Ava constantly wonders why she threw in with these two. It’s a start of a beautiful friendship among other things. 
> 
> Please enjoy! (and brownie points to whoever finds the blatant Doctor Who references here)

“Right then, Gideon. I’ve sent my note out to my past self-”

“My present Captain,” Gideon chimed in.

“Yes,” Rip agreed with a smile. After disbanding his old team of Legends he had piloted his ship back to his personal timeline. A present for his past self, he could have never made the Bureau without Gideon’s help. He should probably mention that to her. “This is where I leave you, five years in my past so you can help me form the Time Bureau. I succeed, but I can’t do it without you. I know I don’t have to tell you to look after me, because you always do. But do remember to look after yourself too.”

“Very well, Captain.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Rip bid her goodbye before hitting the button on his time courier and opening a portal for himself. He stepped from the study through the portal and onto the bridge of his ship.

“Home sweet home,” he breathed, “Gideon?”

“I’m here, Captain,” Gideon’s voice echoed through the ship.

“You always are,” Rip muttered under his breath, “What are you working on? And since when do you call me Captain anymore?”

“The cadets may be better about piloting the ship, but they’re not very good at routine maintenance,” Gideon responded somewhat bitterly.

“The Waverider is meant for simulations purposes now, you know that. Are you planning on going out for a joy ride?” he teased.

“It would certainly be more fun than being stuck here for all the fun missions,” Gideon grumbled, “I suspect it was a successful mission given your chipper mood?”

“You know it was successful, you were right there with me,” Rip rolled his eyes as he walked over to the console.

“That was five years ago for me, Captain. Things have certainly changed since then,” Gideon responded as she rolled out from under the console. For starters, she was human now.

Rip smiled at her as he took a seat on the floor next to her. It had been years since she had gotten a body for herself but Rip was always amazed how she looked exactly as he had always pictured her. The long brown wavy hair, the big grey eyes, exactly how he had always imagined her.

“You’re still calling me Captain. Any particular reason why?” he commented lightly.

“Thought you might be feeling a little nostalgic after the mission. Meeting the Legends again. Seeing me in AI form,” Gideon rattled off.

“Not particularly. Though maybe I’m not the nostalgic one here,” Rip watched her intently, “Gideon, you know you couldn’t come with me. I had to-”

“I know,” Gideon cut him off with a sigh, “Still, it’s all fine and alright for you. You get to go out and see the Legends. I haven’t seen them in years.”

Rip placed a hand on top of hers, “I’m sorry. I know you miss them. But just because you couldn’t see them this time doesn’t mean you can’t see them again. We’re in 2017, and so are they.”

“I doubt they’d even recognize me on the street if they ever saw me. You could have asked them to join the Bureau. They’re good as a team, you’ve always thought so too,” Gideon reminded him.

“I hardly think this will be the last we see of them anyways. They deserve a chance at normal lives, and if they want to come back, they will. You know I have my reasons,” Rip closed his eyes and leaned back against the console.

“Yes. But I don’t know the reasons unless you tell me why,” Gideon told him softly as she touched his cheek.

“You know enough,” Rip touched her hand, “I’ll tell you everything when you need to know. I don’t want to put you in danger or worry you needlessly.”

“Not knowing everything is what worries me needlessly,” Gideon huffed, “Remember the Spear of Destiny?”

Rip groaned, “When are you going to let that go? I have apologized countless times!”

“When will you trust me properly?” Gideon threw back flippantly.

“I trust you more than anyone, Gideon,” Rip told her seriously. He leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Even more than Agent Sharpe.”

Gideon begrudgingly smiled at that before batting him away. “As you should,” she hummed.

Rip stood and pulled her up with him, “Now, to make up for not letting you go earlier. There’s an anachronism in 2059 that needs our attention. Fancy going on a mission with me?”

“Sounds like fun,” Gideon grinned at him. Her hands came up to cup his cheeks, “You know, now that you’ve met the Legends and the timeloop has been closed. You could consider growing your beard back.” Her voice was nonchalant, as innocent as she could keep it.

“You know, I think I rather like it actually,” Rip’s eyes shone with glee.

“You can’t be serious,” Gideon deadpanned.

“Yeah, I think I might keep it for a bit,” Rip continued as he walked backwards from her.

“That’s not funny!” Gideon warned as she stood still.

“I mean really, the beard is such hard work sometimes. Besides I think it rather fits in more with the proper image the Bureau is trying to give off, don’t you?” Rip grinned with delight.

“I think you’re having a midlife crisis,” Gideon tossed back.

“And I’d like to remind you that you are, technically speaking, still older than me,” at Gideon’s glare he backtracked and raised his hands in surrender, “And still as lovely as ever. And very beautiful.”

“And smarter than you,” Gideon began listing her traits he had rudely forgotten to include, “And clearly more mature and-“”

“Yes, yes, you’re perfect,” Rip rolled his eyes as he held out a hand for her, “Now, do you want to come along with me or not?”

“Of course I’m coming along. You would be lost without me,” Gideon huffed as she took his hand and fell into step with him.

“I really would be,” Rip said quietly as he squeezed her hand, “I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”

“I know,” Gideon gave him a soft smile, “You already said. Fifteen minutes ago and five years ago. We’ve come a long way since then.”

 

* * *

 

_Meanwhile, (Fifteen minutes ago and five years ago)_

Rip parked the jumpship back on the Waverider and headed straight for his study, “Gideon?”

“I’m here, Captain,” she answered easily as her blue avatar popped up in front of him.

“Good, good. How long has it been for you?” he had to ask. Timelines could get so messy sometimes.

“Only fifteen minutes. And you, Captain?”

“Can’t have been more than a few hours,” he exhaled, “As soon as I left the Waverider the jumpship was hit with a time quake. Gideon, the Great Pyramids were in London 2009. Time is broken.”

“Indeed. There were also dinosaurs in Los Angeles 2017. But it’s been taken care of now. Captain, I should warn you that these anachronisms are all over time and the world. It may take some time to clean this mess up,” Gideon told him.

Rip sighed as he plopped down in his chair and dragged his hands over his face, “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have allowed us to interact with our past selves!”

“That was a future version of yourself from an alternate timeline who chose to sacrifice himself to save the world,” Gideon stated.

“Yes, and now time is broken because of me. And I had to leave the Legends to go form my own version of the Time Masters. Perhaps if I had stayed with them, we could have fixed this,” Rip said sullenly. They were a good team for all their faults. Messy but effective.

“If you’re going to wallow can you make it quick?” Gideon snapped at him.

“Gideon?” Rip looked up at her.

“The world is at stake here. So do what you have always done. Sit up straight, think of a plan and be a Captain,” Gideon’s voice was harsh. Exactly the kind of tough love he needed at this point.

“Gideon, I am telling you. I don’t know how to fix this!” Rip yelled at her.

“But you do,” Gideon reminded him softly, “Captain Hunter took care of the dinosaurs in Los Angeles. And he said you would succeed, with my help. At least one of you trusts and believes in me.”

Rip gave her an unimpressed look, “Don’t be petty, it’s beneath you. I trust and believe in you more than anyone.” Rip sighed and got up, circling his office twice without being able to find what he was looking for.

“Where’s all the alcohol?”

“Captain Hunter threw it out.”

“Of course he did,” Rip muttered hatefully, “And I suppose he told you you’re not allowed to fabricate me anymore?”

“You would be correct, Sir.”

“Of course I am because it’s me,” Rip crossed his arms and looked down for a moment to collect his thoughts. “Right, so let’s review. In the message he – I sent me, he said the Legends wouldn’t be here, that I’ve created the Time Bureau. I have agents.”

“Yes,” Gideon confirmed.

“How far into the future is this for me?” Rip asked.

“You know I cannot divulge your personal future, Captain. It could have devastating effects.”

“More than time already being broken?” Rip asked wryly. Gideon clearly didn’t find his sense of humor funny given the distinct silence. He sighed, “Fine, don’t tell me. So future me creates the Bureau, with your help. So, how do we get started? Do we fix the anachronisms first or do we start trying to create the Bureau?”

“If I may?” Gideon started, “Perhaps we should start by fixing the anachronisms. The best way to get started is to just start. Everything else will fall into place eventually.”

“Right,” Rip nodded, grateful for the direction, “Right you are. Honestly, future me wasn’t very helpful with the details on what to do.”

“That’s what you have me for, Captain,” Gideon reminded him brightly.

“Of course I do,” Rip smiled as he walked over to his Captain’s seat. It had been a while since he had piloted the Waverider, he had to give that up to Sara when she took over as Captain.

“Gideon, plot a course to London 2009. Might as well start with what we know. But I think I’ll take over the flying if you don’t mind.”

“Probably for the best, Sir. After the previous crash, the Waverider still needs minor repairs. Captain Hunter took care of most of what he could. It should last us the mission, but then we will have to rest and regroup.”

“Duly noted, Gideon,” Rip nodded as he clutched the thruster. Belatedly he remembered the holographic note his future self had sent him. “Oh, and Gideon?”

“Yes, Captain?”

“If I ever try to shave my beard like that, feel free to shock me or something.” Honestly what was he thinking?

“Sadly, I think you will have to shave at some point in order to close the timeloop.”

Rip hummed, “Yes, you might have a point there. Well not anytime soon as far as I’m concerned. And after it’s all over and done with, I suppose I can just grow it back.” Though, it would take a while to do so. “Feel free to nag at me until I do.”

“I do not nag you, Captain!” Gideon defended herself as Rip rolled his eyes, “I simply remind you constantly. You would be lost without it.”

“Of course I would. Now then, London 2009. Let’s get started.”

 

* * *

 

“Gideon, could you please be a little more specific as to what it is I’m supposed to be looking for?” Rip gritted his teeth as he spoke into his comm, “I have been wandering this marketplace for hours. Vesuvius is going to blow any time now. I would rather not be caught in the crosshairs.”

“You have just under an hour, Captain. Admittedly, it’s not much time,” Gideon tried to soothe him. It wasn’t working in the slightest. “The sensors only picked up on an anachronism in this time period, not what it was.”

“Of course,” Rip muttered to himself. Being in Pompeii on D-Day wasn’t exactly his idea of fun, but a necessity. If there was an anachronism then he had to fix it. It was his fault anyways. “Still, I need to find it first – wait! I think I know what I’m looking for!”

At the end of the marketplace there were two women heading into the senate. This wouldn’t have been unusual, except while one of the women was in traditional Roman garb, the other was wearing clothes from the 1900’s. Rip was surprised no one else seemed to notice this fashion faux pas, but the roman blonde was quickly hurrying the other one along. Rip made quick work to follow them.

By the time he reached them, there were roman soldiers pointing their swords at the two women who had their arms raised in surrender. Rip caught up to them and swung out his gun, set to stun and aimed at the soldiers. One by one they dropped to the ground. The women turned around at that. Before Rip could get a single word out, the blonde punched him in the face.

“Ow!” Rip yelled as he touched his jaw, “You know, a thank you would suffice. There’s no need for violence!”

“Are you an idiot?” she hissed at him, “What do you think you’re doing coming in here with futuristic tech. You should know better!”

“I don’t understand, what’s going on?” the other woman asked fearfully. The blonde dismissed her with a single look.

“Well I’m sorry, I was more concerned about saving your lives. You’re welcome!” Rip spat at her. In his mind, all he could think was that the Legends had clearly rubbed off on him. What had he been thinking?

“I could have handled it!” the blonde argued with him.

“For the record, it was set to stun anyways,” he held out his hand as a peace offering, “Rip Hunter, former Time Master.”

The blonde begrudgingly took it, “Ava Sharpe. Time traveler. I’m what you would call freelance. Been out of a job ever since someone blew up the Time Masters.” Her tone of voice implied she knew what he had done. He wasn’t surprised, it was only a matter of time before news of what he had done rippled out into the timestream.

Rip sighed as he dropped his hand and looked away, “I did what I had to do. They were letting a tyrant rule and the people to suffer. I don’t regret it.”

“If you’re waiting on a thank you, you’re going to be waiting a very long time,” Ava told him as she dropped the subject.

“Of course,” Rip assumed as much. The woman was reminding him of Sara Lance more and more, “Who’s this?”

“Amelia Earhart.”

“You have got to be joking,” Rip stared at her bug-eyed.

“I’m guessing you’ve noticed what I have. Time is broken. What happened?” Ava demanded.

“It’s a long story. Which I will explain if we get out of this. Amelia Earhart doesn’t belong here. She’s an anachronism and we have to get out of here before Vesuvius explodes,” Rip pleaded with her.

“She’s not the only one we need to get out of here,” Ava nodded at a young man laying on cushions, “That’s Pliny. He-”

“Wrote one of the only accounts on Pompeii,” Rip finished for her, “Right, we need to get both of them out. Now.” Just as he said that they all felt the ground shake underneath them. “It’s started. Gideon! I need you to bring the Waverider around. We’re going to have some guests.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Captain? What if it’s seen?” Gideon reminded him.

“Camouflage yourself as best you can. Besides, either way, basically everyone is going to be dead soon. Including me if you don’t hurry,” Rip gave her more incentive.

“On it, Captain. Locking onto your coordinates now.”

“Right, you take Amelia. I’ll grab Pliny. My ship is on its way,” Rip nodded once. Ava grabbed a confused looking Amelia and dragged her along while Rip grabbed the young man fireman style. Technically Ava didn’t have to do as he said, but everyone had heard of Rip Hunter. And besides, her original exit strategy was gone anyways. It was the only reason she went to find Pliny, history detailed that he had gotten out, and maybe this was why.

Rip led the way holding Pliny, Ava behind him and Amelia slowly trailed behind, still confused by everything. The Waverider was in view and they had almost made it out amidst all the chaos when one of the columns crumbled behind them. Cutting Amelia off from the group.

“No!” Rip shouted as he turned around, ready to save her. Ava stopped him with hands on his chest.

“You can’t!” she yelled back at him.

“The hell I can’t!” Rip growled at her.

“Mr. Hunter – Rip! Listen to me,” Ava tried again, “You know as well as I do, no one ever finds Amelia. Even if the rubble didn’t cut of her oxygen, where would we take her? I want to save her too! But we can’t. Any longer and we’ll die, and so will he. And Pliny has to get out otherwise time is in even more danger than it already is!”

“But we can’t just leave her!” Rip begged.

“Captain,” Gideon’s voice filled his ear, “Please come back to the ship. Ms. Sharpe is correct, Amelia Earhart is never found. It’s more than likely that she fell through a hole in time on her own, rather than being a displaced anachronism. Come back to the ship. Before it’s too late, please.” It was her tone of voice, the pleading and desperation, that Rip hardly ever heard. It was the softness in the request, that made Rip turn around and head back to the ship. Ava followed along quietly, wiping her eyes as she did.

Hours later, after a time jump forward and dropping Pliny off after giving him amnesia pills, Rip and Ava wandered back onto the Waverider.

“There has got to be a better way to wipe memories than those amnesia pills,” Rip commented, “It’s dicey at best of times. Gideon, we should work on that.”

“Noted, Captain. Where to next?” Gideon asked.

“Drop me off at my ship. Or something,” Ava demanded.

Rip looked up at her in surprise, as if belatedly remembering she existed. It had been a while since he’d had anyone on the Waverider. Maybe Gideon had been right, everything would fall into place. “I could. Or, you could stay. And work with us?”

“To fix your mistakes?” Ava crossed her arms as she recalled the explanation Rip had given her for time being broken.

“Yes, if you’d like,” Rip offered, “You said you were out of a job anyways. So work with me.”

“You’re trying to recreate the team that caused all this?”

“No. I’m trying to create something to replace the Time Masters. Someone has to look after time-”

“Because you broke it,” Ava interrupted.

“Yes,” Rip agreed ashamed, “But I want to fix it. With your help.”

“Why me?”

Rip sighed, “Because I need someone to keep me straight. To remind me of the rules and to challenge me. You’ve done a pretty good job of that so far.”

“He’s lonely,” Gideon added.

Rip glared at the ceiling, “Yes, thank you, Gideon. If I want your commentary, I’ll let you know! And I’m not lonely, I have you.”

“Yes, but you need physical companionship which I cannot provide.”

“Physical companionship?” Ava asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh bugger it all,” Rip muttered as he dragged his hands over his face. He could feel his face heating with the blush, “Not like that. She didn’t mean that! Gideon, please stop trying to help!”

Ava tuned out the two of them bantering as she came to her decision. She wasn’t entirely sure she trusted this man, and his actions were questionable. But his intents were honorable, and that was something she could work with.

“Alright, I’ll help,” she interrupted their arguing.

Rip looked at her in surprise, “You will?”

“You did save my life. Terribly, and I could have handled myself. But you got me out of Pompeii, so I’m grateful. But I’m not calling you ‘Sir’” Ava warned him.

Rip laughed, “I wouldn’t want you to anyways.”

 

* * *

 

“We need a base of operations,” Ava announced as she entered Rip’s study.

Rip looked up from his book at Ava and then back to his book, bewildered by this blatant invasion of privacy. “Ms. Sharpe, can’t you knock?”

“Your study has no doors. Otherwise I would,” Ava informed him.

Rip had to concede that was true. She had far better manners than his Legends. Rip closed his book and turned to her. “What’s this about a base of operations? What do you think the Waverider is?”

“I know you love this ship but it’s not a base. We’ve barely recruited anybody for this Time Bureau you say you’re going to start-”

“I am,” Rip interrupted. He didn’t appreciate the doubt in her voice.

“We never stop anywhere long enough to even repair the ship properly. And there is no place for all of us to regroup either. We’re all working in different times with what few timeships we’ve got and trying to use Gideon to communicate. It’s messy.”

“And what would you suggest?” Rip asked. He was open to opinions at this point. It didn’t seem he would make any headway on his goal without some help.

“We need a base, a permanent one. Headquarters if you will. Somewhere we can park the ships and look after them and discuss strategy.”

“You want to go back to the Vanishing Point?” Rip asked. It was where the Time Masters had originally worked. And he had thought about going back and restarting from the ashes, but it held too many memories for him. He would rather start from scratch.

“Not exactly,” Ava started as she played with the controls on the screen. Rip was increasingly annoyed that Gideon seemed to trust her with the controls. “The Time Masters operated in the shadows, no one knew about them. They were somewhere inaccessible. I think we should be different, out there in the open.”

“Where no one would ever think to look,” Rip realized as he looked at the screen. Where better for a top-secret organization to hide than out in the open? To blend in with the chaos of everything else. And with all the anachronisms they had to fix, it would certainly be easier to get to them.

“Exactly,” Ava confirmed, “I think we should have Headquarters set up all throughout the major time periods. The Renaissance, Ancient Greece, Victorian Era, Twenty First Century, First Contact.”

“Be everywhere major that a problem could occur,” Rip nodded along. He frowned at the screen, “You’ve been working on this for a while. You have places and time periods picked out.”

Ava shrugged, “I might have had some help.”

“Gideon!” Rip yelled at the ceiling, “You’re supposed to tell me about these things!”

“Sorry Captain,” Gideon chirped innocently, “I thought you would appreciate the surprise. It was a very good idea by Ms. Sharpe. And the Waverider does need somewhere to stay when not in use.”

Rip sighed, “Yes, I suppose you’re right.” Gideon needed a break like the rest of them, and she couldn’t do that if she was constantly working on repairs and never touching down. “Thank you, both of you.” Ava nodded once, accepting his gratitude. “Gideon, you already know where you want to go. Plot a course. And let’s see our new home.”

 

* * *

 

“Wilbur and Laura took a jumpship to deal with the anachronism in 2022,” Ava said as she walked into Rip’s office. Rip gave a noncommittal hum in response and it took every last drop of Ava’s patience to not throw something at the man. She looked around the room and commented, “I’m surprised you haven’t decorated more. Given how cluttered your study on the ship is.”

“We’ve barely even been here for a few weeks. The Waverider is my home and I spend most of my time on there anyways,” Rip muttered as he stared at a blank wall.

“And yet you seem content staring into blank space here in your office,” Ava crossed her arms.

“I needed to think.”

“In the one place that you claim you can’t think in?”

“Alone,” Rip answered pointedly.

“You mean without Gideon around,” Ava translated, “You two have a fight?” Honestly they argued like an old married couple at times. She felt like she was always intruding on a private moment.

“No, I’m just considering courses of action,” Rip huffed and tried to look important as he shuffled some papers around on his desk.

“Concerning the anachronisms?” Ava frowned in worry.

“Concerning something you don’t need to worry about!”

“Look if we’re going to be partners-”

“Gideon’s my partner,” Rip corrected her. He caught sight of the look on her face and hurriedly apologized, “Sorry. I’m in a mood.” It was the truth, but he could have been nicer about it.

“I’m hardly a little girl that gets her feelings easily hurt,” Ava rolled her eyes. Like she wanted to get in the middle of their relationship anyways. “But if we’re going to work together, then we need to trust each other.”

“I do trust you,” Rip insisted. She had saved his life plenty of times at this point.

“Never said I trusted you though,” Ava corrected. At Rip’s confused face she continued, “You don’t tell me anything.”

“I tell you enough,” Rip dismissed.

“Then tell me what you’re in here working on. Now,” she demanded.

Rip groaned and ran a hand through his hair, “You’re not going to like it.”

“I don’t like a lot of things you do,” Ava reminded him. He’d gotten sloppy with that team of his.

“And Wilbur is going to hate it,” Rip added.

“The man objects to everything,” Ava shrugged easily. He was even more of a stickler for the rules than she was. And that was saying something.

Rip sighed and walked over to turn on the screen in his office, “What do you know about the 34th century?”

“Revival of the sciences. They made some of their biggest breakthroughs in that time period. There was a lot of ethical dilemmas with what they were dealing with: cloning humans, bringing back extinct species, artificial consciousness having – having physical form,” Ava trailed off, “You want to make Gideon human.”

“Yes.”

“Half those activities were deemed illegal by-”

“I’m aware. But there was a short period of time when it was legal, and perfectly normal,” Rip reminded her. Time Master had never had to interfere with that bit because in the end, time figured itself out.

“They were made illegal because they broke moral and ethical codes,” Ava raised her voice at him.

“I know. Believe me, I know,” Rip sighed as he walked around and sat back down in his chair. He pillowed his head in his arms and pouted. There was no other word for it. Ava didn’t know he was capable of that.

Ava took a seat across from him before asking, “Does Gideon even want to be human?”

Rip threw her a sharp look, “Do you honestly think I would even be considering this if I hadn’t talked to her first?”

“And she said she wanted to be human?” Ava asked again.

“Not in so many words,” Rip admitted. Ava gave him a look of disapproval so he defended himself, “Look, for all that Gideon is always there for me to talk through my feelings with. Getting her to say anything about what she really wants or feels is like pulling teeth. She doesn’t need to say it. I know.”

Ava looked at him skeptically before moving on, “And if she becomes human, what do we use as an AI for the Waverider? Gideon is our only source of communication between our main ships.”

“Yes, we’ll have to work on that too,” Rip replied as he made a note of it. When he looked up, Ava was still giving him an imploring look. “I don’t have the best course of action for that, and Gideon doesn’t entirely approve. But, if need be, we can easily make a copy of her base code. Build a new AI from that.”

“It was against Time Master policy to make copies of the AIs,” Ava pointed out.

“But we’re not the Time Masters, we’re the Time Bureau. Or we will be someday,” Rip dismissed her concerns, “Besides, that’s for the other AIs. Gideon’s the original. Most of them were made from copies of her code anyways.”

“Gideon’s the original?” Ava asked in amazement, “As in the original – original? The one made by Barry-”

“Allen. Yes. Anyways-”

“Then what on earth is she doing with you?” Ava asked completely bewildered.

“Oh thanks for the vote of confidence. She chose me, thank you very much!” Rip snapped at her.

“What do you mean she chose-”

“Look, Gideon gets bored easily. It’s a long story that we don’t have time for right now. You wanted me to tell you what was going on. Now help me with my predicament,” Rip begged.

Ava considered the options and weighed the variables as well as the consequences to time. “It seems like you’ve done your homework properly.”

“I always do.”

“Except for when you break time,” Ava reminded him, “And if Gideon’s alright with it-”

“She is.”

“And I’m guessing she’s done her own calculations on the probability of success and consequences?”

“Multiple times,” Rip answered with a roll of his eyes.

“Then what do you need my advice for?” Ava asked.

“You said it yourself. Just because it’s possible doesn’t mean it should be done. There was always an option for AIs to upgrade to androids, but the Time Masters never even considered humans. It wasn’t done,” Rip explained, “The process isn’t exactly easy and morally dubious at best. Giving life like that, it’s close to an act of God that should never be played with. Is it really worth it?”

Ava raised an eyebrow and leaned back in her chair as she crossed her arms, “I don’t know, Rip. You tell me. Is she worth it?”

 

* * *

 

“I should be with her right now,” Rip complained as he paced the floor.

“You want to be in the shower with her?” Ava replied.

Rip stopped and glared at her, “That is not what I meant and you know it!”

“I know that we have run every possible test on Gideon in the medbay and she is perfectly fine. Her body is functioning normally,” Ava reassured him.

“Yes, I know. But I’m still worried. She seemed confused and lost. She needs me,” Rip insisted.

“She just became human for the first time, I’m assuming if it felt as messy as it looked, she’s going to be a little dazed and confused for a while now.”

“Which is exactly why she needs me,” Rip reiterated.

“What she needs is space,” Ava corrected him, “Which is why she went to take a shower, to clear her thoughts. You wanting to be with her right now just makes you sound like a pervert, especially given the fact that you’ve already seen her naked once today.”

Rip’s face heated up uncomfortably and he could only hope his beard was hiding most of his blush. It wasn’t his fault Gideon’s body hadn’t been fabricated with clothes when she was ‘birthed’ so to speak. Besides, he had done the gentlemanly thing and given her his coat to cover herself up with, which was certainly more than Ava could say she did.

“Shut up. That’s not what it was like,” Rip spluttered, “I think you’re worse than my Legends sometimes.”

“Please refrain from comparing me to your merry band of misfits that broke time. As if I would ever be so careless,” Ava reprimanded him sharply. Rip chose not to respond with how there was a good chance she might actually get along with some of them. He would probably pay to see Ava and Sara fighting together. It would certainly be something.

He paced silently for a few more minutes while Ava flipped through one of his books and researched the next time period they would be visiting. The current AI on the Waverider had been turned off at Gideon’s request so there was nothing but silence for his footsteps to echo through.

“It’s been a long time. Should I check on her?” Rip asked aloud.

Ava barely even looked up, “No. She’s fine.”

“But what if she-”

“I’m perfectly alright, Captain Hunter.” Rip turned to the voice and watched Gideon step down onto the bridge, “Your coat is in the wash. I thought you might like it cleaned of the primordial goop before wanting it back.” Her brown hair was still damp, her steps were slightly shaky and she kept playing with the blue dress she wore. But she was alive. Truly alive. Human and breathing with a beating heart.

“Forget the coat, how do you feel?” Rip asked quietly as he slowly edged towards her. Even Ava was watching Gideon’s every move like a hawk. Gideon gave a small shrug, and then seemed almost surprised at the movement.

“Strange,” she admitted softly, “Not bad strange. Just strange. It feels like there’s too much to process and all the senses…it’s quite a lot to take in.”

“Yes, of course it is. Do you want to go lay down in the medbay?” Rip urged.

Gideon shook her head, “No. I’m perfectly fine. It will just take some getting used to.”

“But it worked?” Ava spoke up, “You’re truly human?”

“Yes. As far as I can tell, my connection with the ship has been broken,” Gideon responded. Her voice sounded slightly sullen at the aspect. The Waverider had been a part of her for so long, a piece of her soul. She couldn’t feel it anymore.

“Well there’s always one way to check,” Rip said as he stood directly in front of her. He silently asked her for permission to which Gideon gave a nod and clenched her fists. Rip automatically uncurled her hands and held on to them as he spoke, “Spaniel. Broad. Tricycle.”

Gideon waited for something. For the feeling of compulsion to take over, but nothing ever came. “I don’t think it did anything. Test it,” she offered.

“Kiss me.” The words surprised Rip as they flew out his mouth before he could stop them. He didn’t know where they had come from. It wasn’t as if it was something he thought about often, though he couldn’t deny that every now and then that kiss in his mindscape did fleetingly cross his mind. Perhaps Gideon standing in front of him like this had sparked the memory in him.

“Shouldn’t you ask me to do something I don’t want to do?” Gideon asked in confusion. Only a split second later Rip caught the blush on her face as her eyes widened at her own response. Behind them, Ava wondered if she should give the two some space to discuss their personal affairs.

“Alright then,” Rip agreed easily trying to keep the smile off his face. “Kiss her,” he nodded his head at Ava.

“Are you asking to get shot?” Ava threatened him as she brandished her gun.

Gideon gave her a onceover and looked back at Rip, “While I appreciate the offer, I’m not quite interested.”

Rip nodded, “Well, I suppose that answers that question. You have complete control over your own actions now, Gideon.”

“Free will,” Gideon whispered to herself. Rip still heard her and squeezed her hand as he gave her an encouraging half smile.

“Well now that that’s all done,” Ava brought their attention back on her, “I am going to get a glass of wine. Because Gideon is no longer in charge of the ship, so I can fabricate alcohol. Which I feel I am going to need. A lot of.” Ava rolled her eyes at them as she headed to the kitchen. Sometimes she wondered what she was thinking when she agreed to this.

“Charming, isn’t she?” Rip laughed as he watched Ava leave. When he looked back at Gideon she was still looking down, her face still tinged with pink. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m fairly certain this body is defective,” Gideon complained as she looked at him, “I speak sooner than my brain can finish processing my thoughts!” She was still clearly thinking of her own slip up in her wording.

“Just another part of being human, I’m afraid,” Rip explained. Gideon looked downtrodden at that so Rip tried to reassure her, “Look, how many times have I gone off on you? It’s the same thing, that’s all. Honestly Gideon, I’m hardly any better. You don’t need a different body, this one is custom made for you.” And it was. She was exactly how he had always imagined her. Though Gideon had reiterated that she looked as she had always imagined herself. Either way, she was already perfect.

“I could always become a blonde in the next body?” Gideon offered.

“You could also just dye your hair if you like,” Rip bantered easily.

“Or maybe a redhead. Jax always liked me as a redhead,” Gideon mused.

“I really don’t want to hear what Mr. Jackson had to think about you. I like you as a brunette,” Rip pulled her towards him. He pointedly chose not to think about what Jax (and possibly other team members) had been dreaming about Gideon. Then he caught something, “You called him Jax. You’ve never done that before.”

“Yes, so I did,” Gideon frowned as she thought of her word choice. Apparently there was more to this free will than she thought. She looked at her Captain and placed her hands on his shoulders for support. “Which reminds me, there was something I wanted to say to you.”

“Alright then,” Rip said somewhat unsurely.

“Hello. Hello Rip,” Gideon’s hands moved to his cheeks and back to his shoulders. She was going to be the restless type, he could already tell.

“We’ve met multiple times, Gideon,” Rip reminded her.

“Yes, but not like this. Not when I could address you by only your first name. Not with me in physical form. Not really. The dreams and your mind don’t count. Not when you couldn’t really touch me like this,” Gideon’s hands trailed down Rip’s arms, which encircled her waist.

“In that case, you can call me Rip as much as you like,” he offered. He watched as Gideon’s eyes went glossy at his flippant comment. She wiped her eyes as quickly as she could.

“Honestly, this body. So many faults, I don’t know how you do it. Any overload of any emotion and you just start leaking,” Gideon muttered.

Rip gave her a small smile as he thumbed away a tear from her cheek, “All a part of being human.”

“Yes,” Gideon breathed before throwing her arms around him in a proper hug. Rip stumbled as he held her body against him. “Thank you, thank you so much for what you’ve given me.” A chance at an actual life on her own terms.

“Oh Gideon, it’s me who should be thanking you,” Rip murmured as he held her, “Future me was right. I can’t do any of this without you.”

“So what now, Captain?” Gideon asked as Rip planted her back on the floor. The title rolled off her tongue easily, it would take some time to address him informally. “We’ve already started on the anachronisms; shall we work on the Time Bureau next?”

“We’ve already got Ava and a base to go back to. And I’ve got you,” Rip held her at arm’s length, “I think we’re off to a great start at creating the Time Bureau already.”


	2. Truths and Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gideon shook her head, “I thought things were different now. You kept Miranda a secret, the Spear, so many secrets for me. I thought it would have made a difference now that I’m human. But maybe you preferred it when I was an AI; you could have simply turned me off or erased my memory if there was something you didn’t want me to know.”
> 
> Rip and Gideon deal with the fallout of 3x05, and all his secrets and lies, with some help of friends. Set in a canon divergent verse where Human!Gideon helps Rip lead the Time Bureau.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied, this story is not going to be posted in linear order. This started out as angst and ended in fluff. Honestly, very little plot. And at this point it’s just a Timeship AU of Drogna's TB verse Five Long Years. (It's amazing if you haven't read it)
> 
> For reading purposes, TC is played by Eoin Macken and Gilbert is played by David Tennant.
> 
> Enjoy!

Tick tock. Tick tock. Forty-four…forty-five. Finally the lock clicked and the door opened. Rip sat up on the couch and turned to look at the arrival.

“You’re home,” he commented.

“Yes.”

“You’re not usually back this late,” Rip eyed the clock, quarter to ten. Gideon gave him a blank look but didn’t respond. Rip sighed, “I suppose you already know what happened then?”

“They told me,” she confirmed as she looked down.

“Yes, indefinite house arrest. Not what I imagined when they mentioned detainment,” Rip watched Gideon fidget nervously, “But you already knew that too.”

Gideon finally looked at him. She moved around to drop her purse on the table and sighed, “It was my idea.”

“Of course it was.”

“Well?” Gideon urged as the silence stretched on, “Are we going to talk about this?”

“Talk about what?” Rip huffed, “How you’ve taken to locking me up in my own home? Honestly, it’s like when we first started out and you didn’t like me.”

Gideon glared at him as she meandered over and took a seat on the arm next to him, “I never said I didn’t like you. You were young, naïve, followed the Time Masters’ orders blindly. But even then, you wouldn’t have been stupid and reckless enough to put peoples’ lives at risk. Agents died. Your agents.”

Rip looked away as he muttered, “They knew the risk of their profession. Of what it meant to be a time traveler.”

“No,” Gideon stated, “They knew the risks of fielding anachronisms. Not chasing some great evil as a part of your secret agenda!”

“Since when have you been one to doubt me?” Rip blew up at her. He got up from the couch and started pacing to ease his anger.

“I have never doubted you. I have always believed in you, you know that,” Gideon said quietly as she pinned him with a stare, “But since when do you keep secrets this big from me?”

“I’ve told you, I have my secrets for good reason-”

“You’re still thinking like a Time Master,” Gideon shook her head, “I thought things were different now. You kept Miranda a secret, the Spear, so many secrets for me. I thought it would have made a difference now that I’m human. But maybe you preferred it when I was an AI; you could have simply turned me off or erased my memory if there was something you didn’t want me to know.”

Rip glowered, “You know that’s not true.”

“I know that for the past five years you have been chasing down yet another demon, with barely a single word to me-”

“I told you I would tell you if you needed to know. I didn’t see the point in worrying you-”

“Worrying me?” Gideon snapped, “No Rip, what worries me is when Agent Sharpe tells me that you’ve gone rogue from an organization you created. When I find out you put peoples’ lives in danger. When you didn’t tell me about-”

“I didn’t tell anyone!” Rip argued.

“When did I get lumped in with everyone else?” Gideon looked at him incredulously. Rip didn’t answer the question. Gideon laughed under her breath, “At least the last time you went rogue you took me along for the ride. And then you came back for me when you left the Legends as well. But this time, you didn’t even tell me anything.”

“When did this turn into a conversation about us?” Rip asked.

“Isn’t it?” Gideon questioned, “For the longest time, you have insisted that I was never just an AI to you, that we were partners. You promised me that when you became my Captain, and I thought I would give you a chance. I helped you leave the Time Masters, I helped you create the Bureau, because you asked. But the truth is, you don’t see me as your equal-”

“Gideon, that’s not fair,” Rip took a step towards her.

Gideon shook her head and put a hand up to stop him, her eyes blurring with tears. She spoke clearly, “All this time, I have accepted that you had a hard time trusting people. You were raised that way, but you promised that you would talk to the therapist. That was the deal we made. I would talk about becoming human and you would tell her whatever you couldn’t tell me. I accepted that.”

“Gideon-“

“Except that was a lie too, wasn’t it?” Gideon insisted, “I thought it was helping you, but it didn’t. I always thought I was the one person you could trust with everything, you said so yourself. But it’s a lie. You don’t trust me at all.”

“That is not true,” Rip argued.

“Really? We waited a long time to start this,” Gideon gestured vaguely between them, not entirely sure how to define their relationship anymore. “Because we both wanted to be sure. I wanted you to have closure from your family and you wanted me to experience life for myself. But now I find out that you don’t trust me enough to tell me anything. And if you’re keeping secrets from me, how does that make us equals? How are we supposed to have any sort of relationship if you think you can just hide things from me?”

“Well if that’s how you feel, maybe we shouldn’t be together at all,” Rip said monotonously.

Gideon swallowed the lump in her throat. That hadn’t been the response she had been expecting, or wanted. She stared blankly at the wall as she agreed, “No, maybe we shouldn’t.”

* * *

 

“You might want to slow down there.”

Gideon turned slightly to the two women behind her, “What are you two doing here?”

“We’re here for you,” Ava said as she took a seat to Gideon’s right. She frowned as she looked around, “What are you doing in a dive bar like this?”

“I needed to get out-”

“Away from Rip?” Ava corrected.

Gideon threw her a sharp look, “How did you know I would be here?”

“Gilbert told us,” Eve explained from Gideon’s left before waving down the bartender to order drinks for them.

“Of course he did,” Gideon huffed, barely audible over the bar music, “Traitor.”

“He’s loyal,” Eve defended her AI turned human.

“How many have you had?” Ava asked as she eyed the glass of alcohol in Gideon’s hand warily.

Gideon frowned, “I’m not entirely sure. I lost count. Captain Hunter always used to drink through his depression, even when I insisted he stop. I suppose that tells me everything I need to know about our relationship.”

Eve frowned at Gideon’s bitter tone, “What happened? You and Hunter have a big fight?”

Gideon dragged her hands over her face as she sighed, “I suppose you could say that.”

“About what happened today?” Ava asked worriedly. She had been there when they had to take Rip in. It hurt that she had to do this to her friend, they had been through so much together. Ava had seen the look of betrayal on his face. But she had been certain, if anyone could get through to Rip now, it would be Gideon.

“About everything,” Gideon groaned. She glared at the drink, “Another lie. Getting drunk isn’t helping in the slightest. It’s just stupid.”

Eve reached out and tried to take the drink from her, but Gideon simply glared at her until she dropped her hand. Eve huffed, “Alright, so Hunter is an idiot and a jerk. What else is new?”

“This is different,” Gideon argued, “He’s never done anything so-”

“He blew up the Time Masters at the Vanishing Point,” Eve reminded her coldly, “He always did what he liked without any restraint from the Time Council. It’s one of the reasons we don’t get on that well. Look, he made the rules; he put in the checks and balances to make sure we didn’t end up like the Time Masters. He can’t be above his own rules, Gideon. We’re a bureaucracy, not a dictatorship.”

“I know that,” Gideon said tiredly, “I know he has to deal with the fallout of his actions. What I don’t like is him keeping secrets from me. How am I supposed to help him if he won’t even let me in?”

“When did that become your responsibility?” Ava asked.

“It has always been my primary purpose to-”

“When you were an AI,” Ava corrected, “Gideon, you’re human now. It is not your responsibility to make him fine.”

“You said it yourself,” Gideon said, “I’m the only one that has any chance of getting through to him.”

“Because he loves you,” Ava corrected, “Not because you used to be his AI. He will listen to you because he loves you.”

“I’m not so sure about that anymore,” Gideon looked at her glass miserably.

“I am,” Eve said resolutely.

“Me too,” Ava agreed, “And even if he doesn’t listen, that’s on him. Not you.” Gideon stared at her drink and contemplated the words silently.

“This is stupid,” Eve huffed, “We are actually not working for once. Gideon might have the wrong reasons, but she has the right idea.” Eve raised her glass, “Let’s forget about our problems for just a few hours and just try and enjoy ourselves for once. As much as we can in the early 21st century anyways.”

Gideon laughed as Ava raised her glass as well, “Now that, I can drink to.”

Gideon clinked her nearly empty glass with them, “Me too.”

* * *

 

“Okay, easy now,” Ava held on tightly to a more than tipsy Gideon as she led her through the time corridor. Later, she would get back at Eve for making her take Gideon home. “And here we are, your apartment.” Gideon made a sound that was halfway between a groan and a giggle.

“She okay?”

Ava looked to the doorway and saw Rip leaning against it, his face the picture of concern.

“She had a lot to drink,” Ava explained.

Rip nodded once, “I can take it from here, Agent Sharpe.” Ava winced at the dismissal, she was only Agent Sharpe in public. It would take a while to rebuild whatever friendship they may have had before. She let go of Gideon and deposited her in his waiting arms before opening another corridor for herself.

“You’re still awake,” Gideon frowned at him in confusion once Ava had left.

“Of course I am,” Rip dismissed, “You’re the one that left after our argument. I was worried.”

“You said we should break up,” Gideon pouted miserably.

“You’re going to choose now to start listening to me?” Rip attempted to give her a small smile. Gideon did not return it. He sighed, “You know be better than that.”

“I – I think I need to throw up,” she twisted out of his arms and ran to the bathroom. Rip followed her and held back her hair as she got sick. She moaned as she flushed the toilet and sat down on the cool tiles.

“Wait here,” Rip instructed quietly as he left the bathroom. He returned a few minutes later with a glass of water and aspirin. He took a seat on the floor next to her and handed her the items, “Here, drink all of it. It’s what you always made me do when I had too much.” Gideon groaned in response.

Rip sighed as he pulled out a washcloth from the cabinet and wet it under the sink, before returning and placing the cool cloth on her forehead.

“You’re being really nice to me,” Gideon said quietly, but more coherently.

“I would hope you think I’m always nice to you,” Rip said quietly.

“You are,” Gideon agreed, “I’m still mad at you.”

“I know.”

Gideon moved away and leaned back against the tub, “Alcohol is horrible. I don’t know why you like it so much.”

“It always helped me deal with things,” Rip corrected himself at Gideon’s half glare, “Obviously it was a coping mechanism. And not one that helped much.”

“Did you drink anything tonight?”

“No, I ditched the habit of drowning my sorrows in alcohol,” Rip answered.

“So you do have sorrows.”

Rip looked up at the ceiling, refusing to make eye contact. Barely above a whisper he told her, “They died because of me.”

“I know,” Gideon said just as quietly. It wasn’t the first time they had been involved with the deaths of others. You didn’t get to be the best Time Masters unless there were a few casualties, but normally it was the Time Pirates. Their enemies.

“Do you?” Rip rasped.

Gideon reached out and touched his hand, “We’ve been together for nearly twenty years. I do know some things about you.”

“You know me best,” Rip insisted as he squeezed her hand. Gideon frowned and pulled away.

“It’s not enough though. I know you have a hard time trusting people, but I don’t want that to happen with me. And I don’t know how to help,” Gideon looked at him, “And I’m not entirely sure I have to.”

Rip felt as if the wind had been knocked out of him. He could handle betrayal from the Time Masters, the Legends, the Bureau. But Gideon? She was always on his side. Always.

“So, you’re leaving me?” Rip whispered.

“No,” Gideon shook her head, “I don’t think I ever could anyways. I have always felt this innate desire to be whatever you needed, do whatever you wanted. I thought it was just the bond between Captain and AI. But I’m human now, and I still feel it, all the time. You – you know you’re everything to me. And I have made a life outside of you, but I can’t stop worrying about you, ever. And this time, I can’t help you.”

“Gideon-”

“I will never stop wanting to help you,” Gideon powered through, “And I will never stop trying. But I can’t let it take over my life. I deserve that, don’t I?”

“Yes, of course you do,” Rip agreed instantly. All he ever wanted was for Gideon to be happy. Even if it was without him. He would get over the pain eventually. “You want to break up?”

“No, but I think we need some space,” she watched his face crumple and tried to explain, “We are not breaking up. And I am certainly not moving out, I happen to like this place a lot. I just think it would be best if we had some space, until you can deal with what’s happening. Even if it’s without me.”

“Alright then,” Rip closed his eyes to stop the burning of tears and leaned back against the wall. Seconds later he felt arms wrapping around him.

“Nothing could ever change the way I feel about you,” Gideon murmured against him, “We are not breaking up, not unless you want to-”

“I don’t,” Rip insisted.

“Then I’m not going anywhere. I will always be here for you. I keep my promises, Rip.”

“Okay,” Rip sighed as the weight in his chest lessened slightly. He simply held on to Gideon, the one anchor he still had left.

“We’ll get through this. I promise,” Gideon whispered against him. Rip held on tighter.

* * *

 

“What are you doing here?” Rip frowned as he opened the door.

“Here, brought you a casserole,” Eve placed the dish into his hands and walked into his apartment.

“Thank you?” Rip stared at the dish to Eve. He turned to the other visitor, “And what are you doing here, TC?”

“I do actually have to talk to you both,” TC said as he walked in and closed the door behind him, “But I also wanted to eat. So shall we?”

“What do the director and resident doctor of the Time Bureau need to talk to me about?” Rip asked as he placed the casserole on the counter and went to get some plates. “Did you actually make this?” he asked Eve.

“Of course not,” Eve snorted, “Gilbert did. Apparently cooking is his new hobby.”

“He should teach Gideon sometime,” Rip quipped.

“As the resident doctor I think it’s best Gideon never cook again. Just to avoid any and all possible cases of food poisoning,” TC said as he helped himself to the food. Rip glared at him making the man shrug, “Don’t look at me like that. Look, the woman is amazing at many things. Cooking is not one of them, Rip.”

He couldn’t exactly argue there. Instead he turned to Eve, “Thank you. For testifying for me at the tribunal. I wasn’t expecting you to.”

“Neither was I,” Eve looked at him seriously then, “But we’re the only two that know how the Time Masters operated – how we operated. Secrets are in our nature. I get it.” Eve had been even further gone in her loyalty to the Time Masters, Rip had his family to fall back on. To remind him what was important. Somehow, they needed to remind him of that.

“Thank you,” Rip repeated, “Any idea when I get out of house arrest. Or at least start some paperwork? Something?”

Eve gave him a look, “How do we know you won’t just go back to chasing down Mallus?”

Rip hit the counter, “He’s real, and he’s a threat. We need to focus on him! Some resources, anything!”

“We let you keep the Legends on hand. That’s all for now. We need to fix the anachronisms you made,” Eve refocused him.

“The anachronisms aren’t important. Mallus is-”

“Time is broken!” Eve snapped at him.

“And there is a bigger evil working here,” Rip insisted, “You know the stories as well as I do about him.”

“I do,” Eve nodded, “I also know that there are Moghuls trying to take over 22nd century London. I know that the Titanic currently has futuristic tech from the 31st century. I know that anachronisms are affecting everyone in all of time. People who should be able to live their lives, families, children. We didn’t take this job to be superheroes, we knew there was no fame or glory involved. We work behind the scenes to protect the timeline. That is what we do.” Rip looked away, unsure of how to respond to that. Eve continued, “We will let your ragtag Legends monitor the Mallus threat. I’m sure Ava wouldn’t mind checking in on them every once in a while.”

“Fine,” Rip huffed. He had warned Sara, it would have to be enough for now. Until he figured out a way he could help. “When do I get to return to active duty? Or at least work?”

“Not for a while,” TC answered, “You have a mandatory psych eval. That’s what I came here to tell you.”

“Why would I-”

“You went rogue, Rip. From the organization you created,” TC said, “You recruited all of us and still can’t trust us. I think that speaks volumes of its own.”

“And when can I have this psych eval cleared?” Rip bit out.

“When Linda says you can,” TC replied, “You start your sessions with her next week. When she says you’re ready to come back, you can. It was Gideon’s idea.”

“Of course it was,” Rip sighed. Even when she was angry with him, she tried to help him. “You know I’ve had therapy before.”

“Because Gideon ordered it,” TC continued, “And clearly, there’s still a lot you keep to yourself. Like it or not, we’re your friends Rip. We are here to help you.”

“Well you are,” Eve shrugged, “Gilbert told me to bring the casserole here.”

“And this is why you are also going to see Linda,” TC told her. He ignored her protests and continued, “Look, you were both raised by the same organization. Since childhood you were taught to trust no one and nothing. I’m just saying, that might leave a few emotional scars.”

Eve continued to glower at him. When she turned to Rip who merely shrugged. If he had to suffer, she should suffer alongside him.

“I will also tell Gilbert that you are to attend these mandatory sessions,” TC informed her.

“How is that fair?” Eve demanded.

“It’s not my fault you’re both terrified of your AI – human companions,” TC shrugged.

“They are quite frightening when they want to be,” Rip insisted as he finally settled down to eat himself.

“Especially when they conspire together,” Eve muttered.

“Especially then,” Rip agreed wholeheartedly.

* * *

 

Gideon heard the thump on the table before she fully registered what was happening.

“You like Chinese, right?” Gilbert asked as he opened the takeout bag on the table in front of her.

Gideon leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, “I do. I thought you preferred to cook?”

“Oh, I do,” Gilbert assured her, “But it was Evie’s turn to cook last night. Which means no decent leftovers for today. So we’re having takeout.”

“Probably still better than anything I can do,” Gideon muttered. Luckily, Rip cooked and she cleaned. She asked, “What makes you think I haven’t already eaten?”

“Because you’re as bad as your workaholic Captain,” Gilbert pointed out much to Gideon’s petulance.

“Like you’re not,” Gideon muttered as she grabbed the food.

Gilbert hummed and took the seat next to her, “What are you working on?”

“Time corridor bracelet stopped working,” Gideon nodded to the spare parts on the table, “I’m working out the kinks.”

“Need help?”

“I’ve got it handled, Gilbert.” He nodded once and the two ate in silence for a while. Gideon sometimes missed when they had been AIs, there was no need for conversing, they all knew what the other was thinking. Now the ability was lost to them. Still, Gilbert was the only other one to understand how she felt. To go from being code to having a physical form. She appreciated him more now than she did when they worked together for the Time Masters.

“You’ve been spending more time at work lately,” Gilbert broke the silence finally.

Gideon sighed and put her half eaten food on the table, “Get to the point Gilbert. It’s not like you to dawdle.”

“Always impatient,” Gilbert mused with a smile, “How are you and your Captain doing?”

“I don’t know,” Gideon answered honestly, “I would do anything for him. I always would, I just thought I would stop feeling that way when I became human. But it’s still there and just as strong. How do you deal with it?”

“It’s not the same between me and Eve,” Gilbert admitted, “When I became human, it was like there was a disconnect. She wanted me in her life, and I couldn’t find it in me to care. I wanted to, but I couldn’t.”

“Well why is it different for me?” Gideon whined.

“Really?” Gilbert arched an eyebrow at her. The only AI to fall in love with her Captain. It was like those ridiculous movies Ava liked to watch on her nights off.

“Right,” Gideon huffed, “But you’re both fine now.”

“We talked about it a lot.”

“Rip and I talk too,” Gideon insisted.

“I’m sure,” Gilbert agreed. It was a well-known fact that a Time Master was only as good as their AI, and Captain Hunter had been the best. He sighed, “We also tried couples therapy.”

Gideon frowned, “I didn’t realize you two were together like that.”

“We’re not,” Gilbert scrunched up his face, “But we were partners of a sort. So it helped us figure ourselves out, where we stand with each other now that I’m human.”

“Rip and I already had therapy separately.”

“It couldn’t hurt,” Gilbert shrugged, “You’ve done therapy alone, try it together now. It’s basically like having someone to mediate for you. Sometimes an outside perspective helps. You know that better than anyone.” Being an AI usually left them on the fringes of most human relationships leaving them plenty of room to interpret relationships.

Gideon shrugged as she picked at her food, “I suppose it couldn’t hurt to try it.”

* * *

 

“There are people in our apartment,” Rip frowned as he walked out of the bedroom having finished with his shower. Gideon had the door open as everyone was piling in: Eve, Ava, Gilbert, TC, and even Gary. “What are you all doing here?” he asked as he toweled his damp hair.

“Gideon invited us over,” TC announced.

“She did,” Rip crossed his arms and frowned at her.

“I thought perhaps you’d like some company. Especially after being alone all day all the time,” Gideon explained as she closed the door.

“Yes, well that would be the definition of house arrest, I believe,” Rip quipped.

“Technically speaking, it means you can’t leave the house. It says nothing about us coming to visit you,” Ava corrected him shyly. Rip hummed but didn’t say anything else to her.

“This isn’t entirely selfless Hunter,” Eve cut in, “Gideon promised you’d make us dinner.”

“She did,” Rip repeated.

“Well I’m certainly not cooking, the doctor told me not to,” Gideon shrugged as TC nodded, “And you don’t like it when I order in all the time.”

“I can help cook,” Gilbert offered.

“And I brought games,” Gary gestured to the bag he brought with him, “There’s Uno, Monopoly, Cards Against Humanity-”

“We’re starting with Monopoly,” TC decided, “If we’re still friends at the end of that then we can withstand anything.”

“I brought cupcakes for dessert,” Ava added, “And jellybeans.” Rip gave her a small smile, she knew jellybeans were his weakness.

“Yes, well thank you,” Rip said as he took the candy from her.

“And I brought wine,” Eve finished, “Because apparently no one else remembered alcohol.”

“I think there’s still some whiskey or scotch around here somewhere,” Rip frowned. He was fairly certain Gideon hadn’t thrown everything away.

“Now see, this man knows what a good drink is,” TC pointed at Rip.

“Wine happens to be classy. Not that you would know what that is,” Eve glared at TC.

“I have plenty of class. Have you been knighted by King Arthur?” TC asked her.

“He is a fictional king,” Rip snapped, “Only created by the Spear of Destiny and you happened to get into a swordfight with him and won. So he knighted you before we had to return him to his time.”

“Always knew those fencing lessons would pay off,” TC grinned and winked at Rip, “I’m telling you, in another life I would be one of his knights at the round table.”

“And in this one you are a doctor with no other friends,” Ava retorted.

“I’m trying to remember what my life was like before I met all of you. I can’t seem to recall,” TC frowned.

“Neither can I,” Gary added, “I think it was normal?”

“Normal,” Gilbert scoffed, “With time travelers, King Arthur’s knight and AIs turned human?”

“No such thing as normal anymore,” Gideon finished.

“Normal is boring,” Eve decided.

“And highly overrated,” Ava added as TC and Gary nodded along with her.

“Now that, I can drink to,” TC agreed as he got up to get glasses for everyone, “Even if it is wine.” Eve glared at him as she poured the glasses and Gilbert handed them out.

“Okay then,” Gary raised his glass, “Here’s to not being normal.”

“And to the people who understand our insane abnormal lifestyles,” Rip added, getting a round of smiles from everyone.

“To our wonderful abnormal friends. We would be lost without you,” Gideon summarized as she raised her glass and leaned against Rip, out of muscle memory.

Rip easily put an arm around her waist and held her against his side. He looked at the crowd that had gathered in his home, in the place that he should have been imprisoned in, much like the Waverider had been his prison before. He only had Gideon to rely on then, now there were more.

“We really would be,” Rip agreed, his voice soft yet sincere. He would be lost without them.

* * *

 

“Did you have fun tonight?” Gideon asked once everyone had left and they were almost finished cleaning up.

Rip looked up from the kitchen where he was busy washing the dishes. “I did.”

“Good, I wasn’t sure,” Gideon said quietly as he joined him. He started handing her plates to load in the dishwasher; they worked seamlessly together.

“I have caught on to what you’re up to,” Rip commented lightly.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gideon dismissed.

“Of course you don’t,” Rip looked at her, “I thought you said you were done trying to help me?”

“I said that it is not my job to fix you,” Gideon corrected, “And I’m not. I’m letting everyone have a hand in it. I know it’s not going to get better overnight-”

“I’m fine,” Rip insisted. Gideon sighed and looked down. Rip tried again, “I just mean, I don’t see why I need to tell them everything. You and I both know we got more work done alone than when we had to go through the Council for everything.”

“When we worked together,” Gideon corrected, “And you now hold the same position of power as the Council did. You can’t abuse that.”

“I know,” Rip agreed quietly. On some level he knew it was true. It was always easier admitting things to Gideon before admitting it to himself.

“I know it’s not an overnight fix,” Gideon repeated, “When I first became human it took me so long to find my place. You, Ava, Eve, you all helped me through that. Now, let us help you too.”

“By playing games with me?” Rip teased.

“Children are found to learn quite quickly from playing games at a young age. It helps their development greatly,” Gideon enlightened him.

“Are you comparing me to a child?” Rip frowned. Gideon bit her lip and looked away. Rip shook his head at her, “You’re incorrigible.”

“Careful, you’re using really big words there,” Gideon badgered him. It had been a while since things had felt light and easy like they did now, and Gideon wasn’t in a mood to ruin it. “Pass me a dish tablet?”

Rip gave her what she needed and asked, “Do you remember that time on the Waverider when the dishwasher was broken? And Ray and Jax were insistent on trying to fix it for me, even though I told them it was ahead of their time?”

“And then it led to soap bubbles everywhere, the kitchen was flooded for days,” Gideon laughed with him, “Oh it was horrible. You yelled at them so much for that!”

“I did it for you,” Rip told her, “You were so angry you refused to talk to them for two weeks!”

“Yes, well, they ruined my kitchen,” Gideon huffed, “They deserved it.” Rip hummed in agreement and finished wiping down the counters. When he was done he stretched and yawned, all the fun and games had tired him out somewhat. He turned to ask Gideon if she would be going to bed soon and found her frowning in contemplation. Hesitantly, he tapped her arm lightly to get her attention. Gideon turned to face him, “Do you remember when you first formed the team? Ray was insistent on team bonding?”

“Of course I do. Those trust falls hardly worked,” Rip rolled his eyes.

“He had some fun games too. Like two truths and a lie. Would you like to play it?”

“What, now?” Rip frowned, “I was thinking I would get some sleep-”

“It’s not like you’ve ever slept much anyways,” Gideon told him, “Besides, it’s only me. And it doesn’t have to be big truths, they can be small ones.”

“Teaching me proper behavior through games?” Rip raised an eyebrow.

Gideon shrugged, “It works on children. I think there might even be some leftover jellybeans.”

“Ah, so now we’ve moved on to bribery.”

“I prefer to see it as reinforcing good behavior,” Gideon countered.

“Of course you do,” Rip laughed at her as he headed to the couch, “Alright then. I was promised jellybeans.” Gideon smiled and grabbed a bowlful of the candy and brought it over to him. Rip sighed, “Alright, how do we start then?”

“I’ll go first,” Gideon offered, “I want to dye my hair blonde, I once hacked into the Time Masters’ grid and reprogrammed the other timeships to all fly to March 7th 2073\. And I want us to try couple’s therapy.”

Rip stared at her in disbelief, “I am scared to pick an answer.”

“Well you have to,” Gideon told him, “It’s the game.”

“Blonde,” Rip decided, “You can’t possibly want to change your hair colour.”

“I think I’d look great as a blonde, don’t you?” Gideon teased, “It was the second one by the way. I programmed them to fly to 2083, not 73.”

Rip laughed at her, “Always the rebel.” Gideon smiled in return as he grabbed some more jellybeans for himself. He took a deep breath and prepared himself, “So, couple’s therapy. I didn’t realize we were on such shaky ground.”

“Gilbert mentioned he and Eve had gone, and it helped them figure out where they stood with each other with Gilbert being a human now-”

“I’ve never minded you as an AI or a human,” Rip reminded her.

“I know that, I do,” Gideon took his hands in her own, “But it could help. Clearly, there are some parts of this relationship that we don’t talk about enough as much as we should. And Linda is great.”

“Yes, good enough to make the Devil confess his sins,” Rip rolled his eyes.

“I thought that perhaps, since you’re going to start seeing her next week anyways. Maybe it would help if I came too for some of the sessions. And we could just do it then?” Gideon offered.

Rip stared at her, “Do you really think we need it?”

“I think it would be a good starting point.”

Rip sighed, “Alright, I suppose we could give it a try. I never want to lose you.”

“And I don’t want to lose you either. It’s why this is so important to me,” Gideon told him.

Rip nodded, “Okay, we’ll give it a try. My turn then, I suppose?” Gideon nodded and waited. Rip hummed, “I hate Britney Spears music, I once stole money from Shakespeare, oh and Sara called me Sweetie on this last mission.”

Gideon narrowed her eyes at him, “She did not call you Sweetie. Tell me she didn’t.”

Rip laughed at her annoyance and stretched himself out on the couch before putting his head in her lap. “She did,” he admitted truthfully, “But it was all in jest. Along with calling the Time Bureau my ‘hot new girlfriend.’”

Gideon huffed, “Well you can forget about me ever calling you that.”

“No, I don’t think I’d want you to call me that either,” Rip agreed softly, “As far as petnames go I think Captain is plenty.”

“You didn’t think to mention you were already taken?” Gideon demanded, “By an actual person?”

“That would mean having to explain the other Gideon is a copy of you and how you became a human. No, it would have been far too much,” Rip shook his head.

“Of course,” Gideon sighed somewhat sadly. A part of her was terribly jealous that Rip got to go off and see the Legends whenever he wanted. Or at least he could have until now. “How is the other Gideon?” she asked bitterly. She never liked talking about her clone, so to speak.

Rip rubbed her leg to comfort her, “She’s hardly you. A bit mouthier, certainly doesn’t like Ava much.”

“I might have made some tweaks to the personality,” Gideon admitted. Rip hummed in response. “Alright, so what was the lie?”

“Hm? Oh the first one,” Rip told her tiredly.

“You like Britney Spears now?” Gideon raised an eyebrow.

“I tolerate her now,” Rip corrected, “You’ve played her songs enough times for her to grow on me. Honestly, you have the worst forms of passive aggressive torture sometimes.”

“It was the only way to get you to listen!” Gideon informed him, “What about Shakespeare? When did you rob him?”

“Remember how there was a Time Pirate going to assassinate Queen Elizabeth? I ran into him then, he hit on me so I took advantage of the moment and took some much needed money,” Rip explained.

“My, someone is certainly popular,” Gideon muttered.

“Are you jealous?” Rip looked up and smirked at her.

“Hardly,” Gideon scoffed.

“Lie,” Rip called her out, “No reason to be jealous. You’re all I want and need now.”

Gideon gave him a soft smile as she ran her fingers through his hair, “See, it’s not that hard to tell the truth, now is it?”

“Not like this, not when it’s with you,” Rip told her honestly, “I know I’m far from perfect, Gideon. Somedays I’m not entirely sure why you put up with me-”

“Well they say love is blind,” Gideon tossed.

“Clearly not in your case, given the amount of times you’ve told me to grow my beard back,” Rip shot back.

“I really do miss it,” Gideon said dolefully as she stroked his clean-shaven cheek, “You haven’t had this look since you first became my Captain.”

“I knew you only liked me for my beard.”

“Well it was a rather high selling point,” Gideon stated in her no nonsense tone. The two of them stared at each other for a few moments before they both burst out laughing.

Rip tangled his fingers with Gideon’s, “My point is, don’t give up on me just yet?”

“Never, Captain,” Gideon let the old endearment slide. She knew she could walk away whenever she wanted, and Rip would let her. But she didn’t want to. “Would you like to go again?” Rip nodded and started telling his two truths and a lie.

It wasn’t perfect, and it wouldn’t be for a while. But it was a start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos/comment with suggestions/concerns/likes/dislikes?

**Author's Note:**

> I wouldn't expect quick updates on this unless you really want it. Most of it stands alone like this, but if I do update, I'll do my best to keep it in chronological order and not jump around within the five years.
> 
> Thank you for reading! Consider leaving kudos or a comment on why you liked/hated it?


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